Drive Expansion and Drive Upgrade FAQ

While I've said it before, too, my FAP 750 has been working since I altered a monoprice cable (trimming rubber) which was somewhere around June (I should find the receipt). Ah, I traced back the software installation on my PC and found I installed the FAP on May 19th. So (with fingers crossed), it appears to be working.

If I get the certified drive at BB, part #WDG1S5000VN, can I use the eSATA cable that comes with it successfully on my S3, or do I need to order the SIIG cable to ensure everything works properly?

I ask since i am not actually ordering it from Tivo, i was not sure the included cable is the same one provided by the Tivo ordered unit, and if it certified to work.

3 of the BB's in my area have the unit in stock, and I may brave the crowds to try to get a couple as I am getting low on space on my S3's!!

thanks folks for clearing this up for me.

Jeff

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Yes, the BB drive should be exactly the same as the one sold by TiVo and you should be able to use the supplied cable without any problems.

IIRC there was one instance where the cable that came with the "approved device" was bad (very loose connections) and they had to return everything to TiVo, but that's the only problem that's come up AFAIK.

Don't hurt any old folks or pregnant ladies in your quest!

EDIT: I just noticed that BB has updated their model number to WDG1S5000VN as you indicated. However on their business website it is still WDG1S5000. WD still lists the My DVR Expander as WDG1S5000. I'm certain they are one in the same, but be sure the box says "My DVR Expander" and it is not a "My Book" model.

On a lark I clicked on the "in store pick up" link at the Best Buy Website and by some miracle of the Tivo Goddess, out of the fifteen BB's in the Los Angeles area there was 1 "My DVR" to be had located at the BB just 2 miles from my house!

Boy do I feel lucky! I immediately paid for the Drive online and twenty minutes later I received an email informing me that my Drive was ready for pick-up!

I promptly returned the Seagate 500 GB drive that I had bought out of sheer desperation the day before yesterday.

Anybody looking at BB's website and getting discouraged by the "on Back-order" notice I strongly urge you to click on the "in store pick up" link and hope for the best.

I'll add to that...my FAP 750 gave me some trouble in the summertime, when I suspect that the drive was overheating due to my habit of turning off the air conditioning whenever possible (and that the drive was in an enclosed cabinet to boot). I got an Antec laptop cooler (with two fans built-in) for like 15 bucks, and lay the drive flat on it to maximize exposure to the air stream. It's been running cool and problem-free ever since. I got the drive several months ago at BB for like $175 and I still haven't seen a better deal.

I'll add to that...my FAP 750 gave me some trouble in the summertime, when I suspect that the drive was overheating due to my habit of turning off the air conditioning whenever possible (and that the drive was in an enclosed cabinet to boot). I got an Antec laptop cooler (with two fans built-in) for like 15 bucks, and lay the drive flat on it to maximize exposure to the air stream. It's been running cool and problem-free ever since. I got the drive several months ago at BB for like $175 and I still haven't seen a better deal.

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I haven't had any problem with my FAP either. I think the bulk of early probs with it were cable related.

out of curiosity, are you plugging your laptop cooler directly into the TiVo USB slot? That looks like a pretty good solution.

I wrote that particular FAQ question under the assumption that members would be building their own eSATA solutions and have access to the original bare drive, thereby eliminating the need for a SATA to eSATA cable. My apologizes for that oversight.

I've updated the Part III, FAQ #10 to clarify that a SATA to eSATA cable is required for those using retail eSATA solutions.

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bkdtv,

OK, so now I ordered the cable from Provantage as indicated above. I waited for the package to arrive, took my Tivo drive out and connected it to USB via USB to SATA cable. Then i go to connect the WD drive to my USB port using an USB to SATA cable + the SATA to ESATA cable from Provantage that you provided a link to. The two cables do not fit.

This is getting extremely frustrating. Why can't this be much simpler. there MUST be an easier way.

Warning: long story!
Back in August I purchased a Seagate 750Gb SATA/300 Barracuda 3.5" drive (P/N 9BJ848-557) and mounted it inside an Antec Veris MX-1 external eSATA enclosure. I got it working using the Kickstart62 method (thanks to this forum ). Since then I've experienced frequent pixellation, pausing, skipping & stuttering of video & sound. Also the occassional reboot and once a lock-up . This occurs seemingly at random, can last only a few seconds or minutes and can occur just once in a show or numerous times. But I'd guess that 95+% of the time everything runs just fine! The 9.2 software push didn't seem to make any difference in this behaviour. It is definately not due to incoming cable signal, as it happens on TiVoCast recordings also.

I purchased a copy of Spinrite and did a thorough scan of the drive (took 35hrs!) incase the power outages (see side-note below) had somehow screwed up the drive - nope, it was fine. I then tried changing the eSATA cable from the one that came with the Antec box to one recommended on this forum (SIIG 1m CB-SA0111-S1). I even tried adding some extra home-brew "shielding" by wrapping it in Al foil!!

Finally, thinking that my $600 refurb'd S3 might be the problem (BTW thanks for the huge price drop TiVo - NOT! shades of Steve Jobs!) I called TiVo, but already knew what the answer would be: "sorry, not supported". They even tried to walk me through dis-mounting the drive (which would have wiped all my saved shows).

So now I'm left contemplating whether to "downgrade" to TiVo's official DVR Expander (33% less space !) or to try another drive (and/or enclosure)...
1) Has anyone else had experience with this drive and specifically this drive in this enclosure? (The enclosure itself gets the OK in the FAQ... but beware my side-note below)
2) Has anyone opened a DVR Expander and found out what series of WD drive is in there? Is it the WD5000AVJS? This is asked with a view to purchasing the same series to put in my Antec box, so it is similar as possible to the "DVR Expander". Unfortunately WD only go up to 500GB with the AV series. To retain 750GB capacity, I could go with a DVR optimized Seagate DB35 or Hitachi Cinemastar...

Side note: the Antec enclosure power connector plug & socket was poorly made such that it easily came lose and caused numerous inadvertent power outs I ended up exchanging it for a new one which is marginally better.

Yes, I can open the case to connect the WD drive. What do I connect the SATA end of the connector to? Where is the SATA connection inside my computer.

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Remember to unplug the power to your computer before you connect anything to your PC. Also unplug the power to your computer before you disconnect anything from your PC.

The layout of every board is different. The best I can do is provide you some pictures of the internal SATA connector. Note colors of different ports vary by manufacturer; your internal SATA ports may be black or red.

The vertical SATA port orientation shown in the first link is the most common.

If you have a tower PC, the SATA ports will most likely be found towards the bottom right, although some boards have several of them at different spots. If you have a desktop PC, the SATA ports will most likely be found towards the front left.

I purchased a copy of Spinrite and did a thorough scan of the drive (took 35hrs!) incase the power outages (see side-note below) had somehow screwed up the drive - nope, it was fine. I then tried changing the eSATA cable from the one that came with the Antec box to one recommended on this forum (SIIG 1m CB-SA0111-S1). I even tried adding some extra home-brew "shielding" by wrapping it in Al foil!!

Side note: the Antec enclosure power connector plug & socket was poorly made such that it easily came lose and caused numerous inadvertent power outs I ended up exchanging it for a new one which is marginally better.

Thanks for listening y'all!

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Warning...long answer.

Sorry to hear that you're having trouble. I don't recall anyone with your setup having problems to date, but there's always a first.

Two things come to mind based on your post. First you mentioned doing a drive diagnostic w/SpinRite. However you also mentioned later that you don't want to lose your recordings. Basic surface scans usually catch errors but a deep read/write/read test is about the only way you can be certain there isn't a problem. An extended test would have wiped everything on your drive so I suspect that no matter how long the test ran that it might not have been adequate. I'm not familiar with SpinRite, but WD's Data Lifeguard Tools for Windows will do the appropriate test (in about 12 hours, YMMV).

Second you also mention that your original MX-1's power connector was bad. That is a real red flag and where I'd have the most concern. We have the same enclosure and the power cord connection is very snug and not at all loose. IIRC I don't believe anyone else has had any issues in that area. If you experienced more than one power failure/short because of a bad electrical connection it could have easily damaged not only the drive but the enclosure's circuit board as well. Power interruptions, spikes, etc. are serious when it comes to TiVo/computers and can do a little or a lot of harm to the equipment. It may have only damaged your eSATA drive but it could have caused problems for TiVo as well.

If you've experienced even one power issue with your new enclosure my advice would be to properly divorce the drive, not risk any more harm to your system and return the case to Antec. I believe they have a one-year warranty.

I'd also perform an extended read/write/read diagnostic on your drive as I suspect the electrical failures may have done some damage.

Finally you might try running TiVo's own diagnostic programs called "kickstarts" to see if that might clear things up; in particular kickstart 57.

You may end up having to replace your drive (and possibly case) in which case you can use whatever you&#8217;d like&#8230;but I&#8217;d stick with the recommendations to be safe. The MX-1/DB35 we&#8217;re currently using has been flawless for over six months now but there are other options as well. Whenever I get a new drive I always run an extended diagnostic to be sure it&#8217;s good before I even install it anymore.

I have the My DVR Expander hooked up to my TivoHD. Everything has been working great so far.

I have two observations about points listed in the FAQ section of this thread.

Does it make a lot of noise?

The Western Digital My DVR Expander is tuned for low-noise DVR applications. Most people do not hear it over their TiVo.

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My drive is significantly louder than my TivoHD. Has anyone else had the same experience?

What are the dimensions?

You can set the drive upright as shown in this photo. When set upright, the dimensions are 6.8"H by 2.25"H by 5.5"D.

You can also set the drive flat with the WD logo on top and the dimensions are 2.25"H by 6.8"W by 5.5"D.

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I have the drive placed flat (i.e. horizontal) with the WD logo on top. When trying to determine what might be causing the loudness, I flipped over the drive and noticed there is a WD logo on the other side. Does anyone else have the WD logo on both sides?

Remember to unplug the power to your computer before you connect anything to your PC. Also unplug the power to your computer before you disconnect anything from your PC.

The layout of every board is different. The best I can do is provide you some pictures of the internal SATA connector. Note colors of different ports vary by manufacturer; your internal SATA ports may be black or red.

The vertical SATA port orientation shown in the first link is the most common.

If you have a tower PC, the SATA ports will most likely be found towards the bottom right, although some boards have several of them at different spots. If you have a desktop PC, the SATA ports will most likely be found towards the front left.

You can connect the TiVo drive SATA to USB and the WD drive using an eSATA to SATA cable to the SATA port on your motherboard.

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OK, thanks. Both Drives were connected, vista machine booted up, recognized the devises, no error message. I open WinMFS, go to select drives, and there is nothing available. i am logged in on vista with my user acct which has admin rights.

OK, thanks. Both Drives were connected, vista machine booted up, recognized the devises, no error message. I open WinMFS, go to select drives, and there is nothing available. i am logged in on vista with my user acct which has admin rights.